Urban Pacification is Just the Beginning
by RoguesKnight
Summary: A new world to be exploited by the Company. Of course things aren't going to go as planned....


Urban Pacification is Just the Beginning  
  
Disclaimer: Aliens, Weyland Yutani, and the USCM are the property of 20th Century Fox entertainment and affiliated parties. Not that I would actually want those slime dripping bastards to begin with, but I'm currently hooked on Aliens vs. Predator: Extinction on PS2 and the damn bugs demand that I write them a story. Somehow, I don't think saying no would be a good idea..so here goes.  
  
* = thoughts  
  
Rating: Like the movies, this one's a R. We're talking strong language and eventually strong violence.  
  
* Space; for eons man thought of it as cold, empty, darkness that was devoid of life other than their own. The truth is a much different story * Jackson Miller thought as he stood on the bridge of the Weyland Yutani ship the Odyssey. It was bound for the recently discovered planet designated by the company as LV-852. From the perspectives of the scientists and mining crew the ship carried, the planet was a gold mine. A geothermal scan from a passing probe had indicated massive life form readings and an atmosphere similar to that of pre-industrial revolution Earth. Translation, new life forms to be studied and catalogued and a planet ripe for exploitation without the hassle of setting up atmosphere processing plants. From Jackson's perspective, it was the worst possible assignment he could have received. At only twenty years old he had been named the Chief Executive Administrator for the colony that would be set up on the planet. Many people would consider such a lofty position at his age an honor, proof that the company had faith in his leadership abilities. Jackson however knew otherwise. He'd only been granted the position because his father was a member of the board and was using his leverage to keep Jackson from joining the USCM like he'd dreamed of. Instead of answering to the twelve USCM soldiers stationed with the ship, they had to answer to him, everybody answered to him these days, a wet behind the ears kid thrust into a job he didn't even want.  
  
" A credit for your thoughts handsome," a rich, warm woman's voice came from behind him as slender arms encircled his waist. Jackson turned, plastering a smile on his face, and gazed into the pale blue eyes of his long time girlfriend and chief research scientist for the expedition, Lily Whitney. She was beautiful, just under five feet six inches tall, very well endowed, and slender. People often thought she was better suited to modeling than xeno-paleontology and xeno-biology, which were her specialties. Those who did missed the keen mind lurking beneath the attractive exterior. " Hello..reality to fearless leader," she tried again, waving a hand in front of his face impatiently this time.  
  
" Oh, hey Lily," he said, blinking as if seeing her for the first time, " Just thinking about the expedition. Wishing I was anywhere else but here. I dunno, I just don't feel that I'm leader material, you know? The only reason I'm here and not in boot camp right now is dad pulled some strings to keep me from "ruining" the family name by doing something common"  
  
Lily folded her arms across her chest, stepping back from him and leaning against the bulkhead, eying him testily, " Oh, that's the only reason you're on this trip? Really, and here I thought it was because I asked you to volunteer and you wanted to spend time with me."  
  
If she thought the girlfriend, guilt angle was going to distract him from his misery, she was sorely mistaken. " And who appointed you Chief Research Scientist for this trip Lily?" Jackson shot back, running a hand through his rich chestnut hair in exasperation, " Howard Miller is a wonderful manipulator but not the most discrete man in the world. He knew if he gave you this kind of position you'd want me to come along so you can prove just how brilliant you are, as always. And big surprise, you fell into his ego trap." He was baiting her, just looking for a reason to fight. He knew it was immature, but it seemed to happen more and more often of late. Ever since he'd discussed joining up with the USCM in fact; she'd immediately dismissed it as a childish dream and too low for a person of his upbringing and the words had cut more deeply than he cared to admit.  
  
" So what if I like being able to demonstrate high ability once in a while?," She retorted, anger flashing through her eyes, " You should too. Instead you mope and whine like a baby because you're forced to take on real challenges and responsibilities instead of running off to play soldier like a common gutter child. You know why those people down below are so obsessed with their shiny weapons and technology? They think it makes the playing field more level. Well it doesn't. Our parents are high ranking members of the company, if those stupid grunts so much looked at us the wrong way, we could have their jobs and make sure they couldn't find any others. Send them right back to the gutters most of them came from."  
  
Jackson had heard enough, marching towards her, he poked a finger into her supple chest, " You really don't get it do you, Lily? We aren't any better than those men and women down below right now. They at least have a purpose to their lives, they're actually working for something bigger than themselves. Don't you ever get sick of having everything handed to you? Wouldn't you like to know for once in your life what it was like to actually have to work to achieve something?" He walked up to the helm and turned, gesturing widely around him. " I didn't earn this position, and yet every single person on this ship answers to me if I choose to give them an order, even you Lily. And why? Because they're afraid I'll make a call and have their jobs. They hear the name Miller and see my father, not me. That's not who I am Lily, and if that's who you expect me to be, I'm sorry. Maybe you'd be better off finding some company suit who doesn't give a shit about the people under him".  
  
" Maybe I would." She sniffed and pulled away, stalking towards the door linking the bridge to the rest of the ship in a characteristic huff. Jackson heard the slight hiss of the door opening and shutting and walked over to an empty seat, slumping down into it resignedly. There was a time when he would have gone after her immediately, tried to patch things up. Recently, it hardly seemed worth the effort. Jackson fished in top pocket of his company issued blue flight suit and pulled out the small black box he kept there. Gingerly he lifted the lid and gazed at the ring inside. It was a single diamond solitaire offset by four small amethysts, Lily's birth stone. Despite the rocky situation, he'd hoped that maybe they could work through their problems and forge a life together. Right now he doubted that she'd ever see the contents of the box in his hand.  
Once again the door behind him hissed open and closed and Jackson snapped the box shut, sliding it quickly into his pocket. Not that he thought it was Lily come to apologize, she wasn't the type who apologized for anything, but he didn't want to have to explain the ring to anyone since she wouldn't be wearing it anytime soon, if ever. The tightly clipped foot steps gave a good indication of the individual who'd entered the bridge. Rising from his chair, Jackson turned around and came to attention, giving a stiff armed salute to Lieutenant Colonel Winston Myers. He was a middle aged man with deep set lines around his eyes, making him look a decade older than his forty-five years and equally deep set laugh lines that caused him to look much younger when he flashed a rare smile. He wore a close cropped, if graying, beard that matched the hair on his head perfectly. A career in the USCM had kept him in the kind of shape that most men his age wished they could attain again.  
  
Winston returned the salute with one of his rare smiles, and gestured towards Jackson's recently vacated chair, " You know son, only the Marines actually have to stand and salute when I enter a room. Civilians are free to do damn near whatever they want. It's not like I can have you thrown in the brig for insubordination. Hell, technically you could have my sorry old ass tossed there if you felt like it." If there was any bitterness behind that statement, it didn't show through. " Permission to speak freely sir?" the Lt. Col. asked as he lowered himself into the seat opposite the younger man.  
  
Jackson smiled, real warmth creeping into his voice, " And I thought you only had to ask that of people who out rank you in the military. As you noted, I'm strictly a civilian sir. You don't need to ask my permission. What's on your mind?"  
  
Myers leaned back in his chair, stretching his legs before him and resting his hand on his stomach. " You can do better son." He stated without preamble.  
  
" Beg pardon?" Jackson asked, pretending he didn't have a clue what the military man in front of him was talking about.  
  
" Doctor Whitney damn near ran me over in the hallway a moment ago son, I figured that you had one of your little disagreements again. I just thought I'd come and see how you're taking it and tell you that you could do a lot better than her." He rubbed his beard thoughtfully, " You're a man of character son, and that's unusual in this day and age when every one is trying to see who can screw everyone else first. If there were more like you maybe people wouldn't be as miserable as they are."  
  
Jackson leaned back in his seat, caught off guard by the unexpected compliment. Finally he thought of a response. " I'm nothing special sir, I just don't like to see people looked down on or treated differently for what they do. You at least make a difference in people's lives. I don't even have the guts to stand up to my father and follow my dreams."  
  
Myers sat up straight in his chair, all hints of informality vanishing from his voice, " Cut the crap son. I don't take pity parties from my men and I won't take it from you either, I don't care if you like the fact that you're in charge of this little field trip or not. You don't think you make a difference in people's lives? I've seen you treat the cooks in the galley with as much respect as you give me. That makes a difference right there, and it is also the mark of a good leader. You may not have wanted this leadership role, but by god, it's yours and it's time you stepped into it because no one else will. As for following your dreams, a dream is what you make of it. Now, what was yours?"  
  
" Well Lt. Col. Myers," Jackson said, sitting up a little straighter in his chair, " I wanted to join up with the USCM." 


End file.
